Defiance
by Kalnur. Aeons Torn
Summary: 2,000 years. . . a lot can happen in that stretch of time, so how about we skip it for now and focus on what's happening now that Lhikan gets captured, the Toa Metru start their adventure and a special guests comes back from her "vacations"? Chp. 4 up!
1. Intro

_Hello, and welcome to this, the sequel of "Artakha Chronicles"; my first major fic in here, I want to thank Rusty Red Raptor, Scar 211 and Dan the Wireman for the support through that fic and –I hope- this one as well; so, shall we begin?_

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own BIONICLE, Varia, Talius or any other OC not made by me; Kalnur and "Good Nidhiki" (will change his name soon) however, are mine._

"_**2,000 Years Later"**_

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Metru Nui... the "City of Legends"… have you ever been there? It used to be a nice place, there were great heroes like Toa Lhikan or Jovan… but that was thousands of years ago; now the city was going into serious trouble with those Morbuzahk vines tearing things down and the suspicious Turaga Dume being… well… suspicious.

Time to pay a visit; after all Varia should already be there and I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see Nidhiki again... not so sure about Nidhiki's reaction.

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(In the entrance to the cave that leads to the island of Mata Nui)

It was a stormy night in the City of Legends; the twin suns had long gone into hiding beyond the great cavern and the sea of protodermis beat viciously against the shore; with the morbuzahk vines and the weather, only a fool would go outside the safety of a home.

But then again, two said fools were looking at Metru Nui in the distance; they had nothing but a small raft and they intended to use it to cross the angry sea; way to start an adventure.

"_**Are you ready to go back there? She might still be angry at what you did all those centuries ago; you can go back to the fortress if you want"**_ The taller figure, cloaked and with a sword almost his size strapped to his back, said. _**"She still has a temper"**_

"Oh, cry me a river; she tried to kill me once and –luckily- failed" The slightly smaller, Toa-ish figure with a halberd answered. "What's the worst she can do, anyways?" He added with a chuckle.

"_**Ooh, I wouldn't say that if I were you… at least not in her face; come on, let's get moving"**_ The taller one ended the conversation as he climbed aboard and stirred the raft clear off the rocks. _**"And hold on tight this time"**_

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(Vakama's Forge, Ta-Metru)

A mysterious figure was perched atop some of the equipment lying around; to anyone, it would have been just a strange little bird-looking rahi with red-hot skin and green eyes.

The figure slowly watched as two Dark Hunters, Krekka and Nidhiki –who had been an old ally, but sadly gave in to corruption- dragged away the last proud hero of Metru Nui: Toa Lhikan, leader of the Toa Mangaia. If only he could stop it, but that was the way things had to be.

"_**Take care brother, and be sure your legacy will last forever"**_ The bird-like rahi said as it took off after the, now scared, mask maker and his toa stone.

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(Great Temple, Ga-Metru)

The toa suva discharged light and power as six, once lowly, matoran were transformed, their bodies growing taller, leaner; more muscular… in short, they were turning into big, powerful toa heroes.

Matau was the first one to act, immediately rushing to the weapons cache, grabbing two aero slicers and doing a summersault to show off his newfound powers before slamming headfirst into the column.

It was easy to notice the footsteps of an approaching Varia as she rushed towards the suva; she was too late to stop the transformation, but on the other hand; she'd get a full front view of the rookies. All of them turned around in shock and promptly drew out their new weapons.

In the shadows, a pair of green eyes watched with amusement how Varia tried to be patient and tech the toa metru something and how they pretty much sent the relationship down the drain, Nokama putting special effort into that. After a few minutes, Varia walked away, angry and frustrated, while the toa metro started arguing amongst themselves.

"_**How amusing…"**_ Was all the owner of the green eyes could mutter before he started laughing and left into the shadows.

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(Le-Metru wing, Onu-Metru archives)

"Yes, in fact you do" The Ta-matoran answered, still smiling. "I have many names, actually. Some call me a Makuta. Others call me the last true follower of Miserix. Yet others call me the avenging Angel. You know me as Talius"

As Varia and the makuta known as Talius kept talking about their old days and catching up to recent events, they failed to notice the chute spider opening its eyes and fading away from the stasis tube.

"_**So your name is Talius… are you the one who worked in the Order too?"**_ The voice faded away along the spider body. (A/N: Read Artakha Chronicles for this; Kalnur used to work for the Order of Mata Nui, remember?) _**"Only time will tell"**_

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(Knowledge Towers, Ko-Metru)

A tall being walked along the alleys formed by the huge crystals known as knowledge towers; he had been instructed to meet into special one marked with the symbol of the Order of Mata Nui; no reason had been given to him, but none was needed.

The problem was the unwanted attention matoran drew when a figure the size of a toa walked next to them, especially after the onle one left, Toa Lhika, was rumored to have disappeared days ago; rushing throught the crowds and vahki, the figure finally stopped in front of the tower he looked for, pulled a secret switch on its side, and stepped through the door faster than you could throw an akilini disk.

"_**Took you long enough, did you get your stuff back, Nidhiki?"**_ An even taller being said; he sported black and white armor, with mostly yellow additions and some silver too; in his head rested a golden Ignika, the mask of life; resting close by were two halberds and a sword even Krekka would find hard to use. _**"Or did some random chit chat and a giant spider thing scare you?"**_ He added with a little malice.

"For the millionth time! I am _**not**_ afraid of bugs!" Was the only answer he gave as he took out a glaive and threw it at his feet. "Will you stop it now?"

"_**Whatever floats your proto drakes"**_ The other one answered as he picked up his weapons and strapped them on to his back._** "Now let's go, there is a meeting in the Great Temple that we really won't want to miss"**_

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(Great Temple, Ga-Metru)

Six matoran; Ahkmou, Vhisola, Orkahm, Tehutti, Ehyre and Nuhrii ; stood sitting against the outer wall of the Great Temple trying to find a distraction from boredom; not too far away, the reasons they were there were busy arguing.

The Toa Metru and Varia stoo discussing which one of the matoran might be the one who had betrayed the city and plotted to give or sell the Great Disks to the Dark Hunters; and so far, all evidence pointed to the po-matoran, Ahkmou.

As every toa head turned around to watch what said matoran was doing, Varia noticed something atop one of the watch towers surrounding the temple; it looked like someone was crouching, paying close attention to every one of their moves. . . then the paranoia left and she decided it was just another of those weird statues po-matoran liked so much.

"_**Dammit, I think she noticed"**_ The figure, about a kio away, whispered to himself. _**"She's still the old Varia, sharp as a blade and just as stingy"**_ He chuckled as he jumped into the water and shifted into a proto drake.

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(Abandoned buildings, Ta-Metru)

Nidhiki walked through the ruins; his job was to find a small ta-matoran that would answer by the name of Tarrik, although he had been adviced to be extremely careful and try to avoid revealing his name.

He found said matoran a few yards from where he stood; activating his Kanohi Volitak, mask of stealth, he silently crept behind his unsuspecting target and, before he had chance to completely react, found himself pinned to the wall by a Makuta and with a broadsword pointed at his neck.

"_Mistake number one: thinking you could sneak up on me"_ Talius said as he inched the sharp end of the blade closer. _"Now you have three seconds to explain yourself before I force it out of you"_

"_**You should leave him alone Talius, I sent him to find you, not for you to kill him"**_ A yellow, armored hand set itself on his shoulder and pushed him slightly back. _**"We have to talk… and for Helryx's sake, put that sword away!"**_

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_And this is how the new story starts; I know it's a bit confusing, so I recommend you read "The Avenging Angel" by Dan the Wireman and "Pharmakon" and "Poison that saves" by Rusty Red Raptor (formerly dragontiger12); nao_

_To my old readers, hope you enjoy and don't get confused; to the new ones, enjoy it and review._


	2. Meeting

_Ok, now that I left t__he "big, high-speed, Le-matoran-confusing, run down" chapter behind, I can get down to write something decent and enjoyable, right?_

_Anyway, this chapter will focus into what some of us have called "Light Nidhiki", so, it's in his P.O.V. mostly._

_Also, to the one who pointed it out; the underlined and other effects for quoted parts are used to emphasize that they're different beings in level._

" " _is for Toa_

" " _is for Great Being_

" " _is for Makuta_

" " _is for "normal" or matoran_

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bionicle, Talius or Nidhiki (DH)_

"_**More adventure"**_

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(Abandoned districts, Ta-Metru)

Nidhiki was staring into Talius' eyes; the makuta in white armor had just pretty much pinpointed his location and turned him into a hostage… all that while his Volitak had been active; what was it with this guy?

"_Mistake number one rookie; thinking you could sneak up on me"_ Talius said as he inched his longsword so close that Nidhiki felt the armor in his neck get scrapped; this guy was playing to kill. _"Now tell me what are you doing here and why?"_

Nidhiki remained silent, but his mind raced a hundred miles an hour, remembering his training…

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**(Flashback****, L. Nidhiki's POV)**

**I stood in the middle of a green colored room; it has already been a whole month since that "Great Being" called Kalnur started training me "in case it was needed", or at least that's the excuse he gave for it.**

**He had given me new toa tools and new armor, but as good as those were, the training demanded every bit of concentration and elemental power I had: I was forced to survive explosions at point blank range, fight fist-to-claw against an ash bear, find ways to get a block the weight of a wing of the Onu-Metru archives to the top of a mountain the size of a knowledge tower –something I accomplished by simply destroying the base until the top was the bottom- and other things like that… somehow I was still pretty much intact, with just the occasional injury here and there.**

**Then there were also the long nights of studying, from the physiology of a skakdi and its vital points –and how to disable them- to the favored methods of hunting used by rahkshi; by now I was weary in mind and body, but much more competent and sturdy at fighting.**

**Today'****s exercise was to fight an android simulated with makuta powers, attitude and attributes; Kalnur had dared to call it a "first term exam", so I'm not all-too pleased at what the training to come will be like…**

**Suddenly, I got hit full-power by a Shadow blast and slammed into te ground y magnetic forces; I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't seen the android come out; quickly, I created a vacuum around its head, only to be blasted again as a reminder that it didn't need to breath air… this would be more difficult than I thought.**

**I took out my halberd –a replacement for my lost scythe- and charged a tornado in the very spot I stood, waiting until it was at full force, I released it before charging straight; the android used its own control of vacuum to counter it, but by the time it lifted its weapon again, I was already at its throat; I knew it wouldn't do much harm now, but plunging the halberd deep into the neck would allow the antidermis to leak out eventually.**

**I was proven right by a kick to my mid-section that sent me flying far; the robot had gone into a berseker mode of sorts: his time had a definite number now, so it would try to take me down with it; I had to block, dodge and blast myself away from him for a good 20 minutes before it finally collapsed on the floor and stopped **

**moving.**

**(End Flashback)**

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Nidhiki started charging an air blade; if he managed to pierce this guy's armor then he'd have the upper hand, providing he didn't end up losing his head somewhere between the charging and the releasing. But suddenly, a yellow gauntlet took firm hold of Talius' shoulder and pulled him –and his sword- back.

**"You should leave him alone Talius, I sent for him to find you, not for you to  
kill him. We have to talk… and for Helryx's sake put that sword away!"** Was the simple command that Nidhiki's superior gave to Talius, which seemed to catch him completely off guard and distract him; regardless, Talius dropped his blade and in a moment of agility worthy of a brakas monkey, tripped the other toa-like figure into the ground.

Needless to say, Nidhiki took this chance to wrench himself free and pick up his scythe.

_"How in Mata Nui's name do you know my name?"_ Talius snapped as he pointed his sword at the newly-revealed threat. Nidhiki just watched, scythe ready with a whirlwind at its end.

**"Wow, thousands of years old and still as sharp as ever Talius. I'm Kalnur, I was part of the Order for a while, you might remember me from there; this here is my companion, Nidhiki"** He laughed as he pushed Talius' hand away.

_"I don't know you, nor have we ever met! So explain yourself!"_ Talius growled as he pushed his hand back on Kalnur's chest. _"I don't like talking or dealing with people I haven't seen before; but if you give me some answers, I might give you some…"_

**"Calm down and let's talk this somewhere more private and less full of weeds"** Kalnur said as he pushed Talius away and got up. **"There are eyes and ears in the city, and few of them are the kind we want to be near"** He added as he signaled Nidhiki to stand down. **"Now, could you check that warehouse for signs of the morbuhzak?"**

_"Sure"_ Talius replied as he walked in. Suddenly turning around, he found Kalnur in front of his mask; pressing a finger at his forehead, he watched Talius black out and collapse on the floor.

Nidhiki got near the body and poked it with his foot, you know, just to make sure. **"Hide his body, we don't want anyone to know we're here"** Kalnur said as he locked down the door to the warehouse and planted small cameras around the perimeter. **"Did he manage to hurt you or something?"**

"Nah, not really… he did make me worry about my neck though" Nidhiki replied as he dragged the body deeper into the house. "What surprises me is how he managed to catch me despite the volitak, I'm pretty sure I made no noise whatsoever!"

"**Well, that's Talius to you, Nidhiki; the guy who somehow managed to return from the dead, know Artakha and win Helryx's heart all in one week"** Kalnur replied, remembering the good old times at the Order's headquarters and the old man's island.

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_Well, that's chapter two; I'm pretty sure people will consider it better than the last one, but once again, the last one was a quick run-down and not a chapter per se…_

_Thanks go to loyal fans Rusty Red Raptor (she's been there since the beginning and given me some great advice, plus lending me Varia, Yistran, Vorx and other great ideas she's had); Scar 211 (who has also been a loyal reviewer and lent me Scar for a while); Dan the Wireman (for lending me Talius and being overall awesome) and everybody else; keep on writing =)_


	3. Old things, new things

_Ah yez, ze zummer breeze blowz quietly in ze eveningz, inspiring fanfictionz and clearing ze dreadedwriterz block, az zuch, let uz go on with Taliuz' and Kalnur'z conversation_

_Also, by "popular suggestion" the different "styles" to emphasize which race was speaking are out_

_Also, help me find a good name for "Light" Nidhiki, it's getting confusing already_

_Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Talius, Varia or the Great Being realm where Light Void is…. Or BIONICLE for that matter…._

"_**Of New and Old"**_

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Talius lay unconscious atop a pile of crates filled with matoran goods, his bulking makuta body looking as threatening as ever even with its white, gold and blue pattern; light Nidhiki just sat on another crate near him.

"And what are we supposed to do now that we've got him? We can't keep him here, it's too vulnerable a spot… perfect for an ambush if ya ask me" The green armored toa said as he played with a small whirlwind in his hands. "Besides, he is way skilled; he could manage to break out from here before he talks"

"Don't worry about it, we're going on a small trip back to the fortress… it's also been a month, so we could use some more ammo, if you get what I mean" Kalnur answered as he placed the remaining device outside the warehouse's door. To any curious matoran or unwanted "Tarrik seeking squad", the devices would project the image of a happy certain matoran at work… and a strong suggestion to leave him be.

"Now grab onto something and make sure he stays in place; if the teleportation goes wrong, he might end up somewhere pretty nasty" Kalnur added as he gathered energy and focused on his destination: Light Void.

Outside in the darkening skies of Metru Nui, a simple flash of red shone above Ta-Metru for a few seconds and then banished.

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(Great Being Realm, who-knows-where)

The fortress known as Light Void stood tall in the crossroad of a frozen tundra and a jungle, something possible only in the strange dimension the Great Beings of this universe inhabited; it stood tall and proud with 35 meters of pure, unbridled mystery and other unexpected surprises, a feature Kalnur had given it to make sure his adopted home would never grow boring.

The three teleported into the middle of the courtyard while the dome resonated with the hits of rain drops and hail; slinging him over one shoulder, Kalnur took Talius into the fortress and one of the guestrooms, where he left a note for when the makuta woke up.

"Come on Nidhiki, we have to re-stock on supplies for the hideout… good thing I got Helryx to give it to me as a reward for excellent mission" he added with a laugh and a chuckle. "That brings back memories"

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**(Flashback)**

"**Kalnur! Why did you send your team back?" Helryx barked as she slammed her fist in the desk. "I sent them to Metru Nui and to you for a very specific reason!" She added as she glared at the titan before her.**

"**And they had their own duties to answer to, Helryx!" Kalnur answered as calmly as he could, although the floor under him started cracking from the pressure. "Kreya had to move the sundial, Kyros was needed in Stelt and Tarken and Likai still have guard duties in Artakha!" He added angrily as he held her gaze back.**

"**Well then goddamit Kalnur! You want to do this alone? You've got it! Until further notice, you're doing this mission solo; a residence in Metru Nui will be found for you and you. Will. Stay. There!" She yelled him out of her office just as her desk cracked under another one of her blows.**

**(End Flashback)**

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"Well, maybe she didn't say it with those exact words, but that was pretty much what she tried to tell me" Kalnur said as he changed into something way more comfortable than his thick, protosteel armor. "But that knowledge tower is ours and ours only, so we better enjoy it while we're there"

"Whatever you say, nut job" Nidhiki said as he walked to the armory. His old scythe was… well, old… and in need of some serious repair, so maybe it was time he got it upgraded, maybe add something new to the blades or something cool like that; browsing through the many shelves of weapons, he finally settled for some of the biometals Kalnur had gotten from who-knows-where and took them to the forge… oh boy, would this get interesting or what?

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(Two loud booms and a fire later)

Talius woke up in a strange room; it was mostly dark, but here and there strange green glyphs, formulas and schemes were carved into the wall and seemed to be the only source of light around; no lightstones or electric switches anywhere to be found; sighing and now even more wary, he picked up his sword from the bed table and inched closer to the door; wherever this Kalnur guy had taken him, it wasn't pretty.

"Fine, if you want to play 'Let's kidnap the Makuta', then we'll see how much fun he can be as a hostage" Talius said to himself as he blasted open a hole in the wall. "I'll beat whatever I need out of that idiot before handing him over to one of the prison islands" He added as the rubble and dust cleared; he then proceeded to jump out and into a large hallway full of those strange glyphs.

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(With Nidhiki)

Nidhiki was proud of himself; not only had he repaired and upgraded his Air Scythe; he had also had enough material to make a second one, although it meant breaking the shaft of the original in two, but then again, creation is a paradox, isn't it? Looking back at the fiery forge from which his new tool had come, he suddenly had an interesting idea. "Kalnur! Do we have any fireproof metals?" The –now excited- toa of air yelled as he ran back to the main building.

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(With Kalnur)

Kalnur stood in the middle of his personal cache of weapons and armor, looking for something useful; his armor was old and dented, and it would be easier to melt it and use it to make something else than to repair it, so he was thinking of adding yellow and silver to his already white-and-black outfit, maybe add some shoulder guards while he was at it; that's when he heard the boom in the guest rooms.

"Oh great! What's going on now?" He asked as he strode down to the main hall with a crescent blade in his hand (A/N: If you know who Zen-Aku is, imagine something akin to the blade he carries… the big one) and an attitude to show at whoever or whatever was trying to blow up Talius. What would be his surprise when he saw the makuta in question glaring at him and ready to strike with his light sword? (A/N: lots, let me assure you)

"Where are we? Who are you really, 'Kalnur'? A follower of Teridax? Of Yistran, perhaps? Answer me!" The makuta roared as he blasted light at Kalnur and tried to drive him into a corner. "Answer me before I make you answer!"

This took Kalnur over the top: assaulted in his house for a second time? Preposterous! Morphing into his Great Being form, Kalnur swatted Talius' sword out of his hands and grabbed the makuta by the waist; lifting him up to eye level, he gave a light squeeze to emphasize his point. "Listen to me Talius, and you better listen good. I brought you here to my fortress to talk with you, not for you to blow up my walls and try to gut me out! Understood?" Kalnur added as he put the makuta down rather forcefully and shrunk back to a "normal" size. "Now come with me, I assume you're hungry"

"Uh-huh…" Was all Talius could give as an answer as he dusted himself and walked after him.

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(The dining hall)

"Sit down and enjoy the food… and no, I'm not trying to kill you like that toa" Kalnur gestured more calmly as he took a seat in the medium-sized table and all sorts of food appeared; from different fruit juices, wines and sodas to different rahi meats from all over the matoran universe. "You are my guest, and I trust this isn't the first time you've met a great being, has it?" Kalnur added as he took his mask off and served himself some weird, orange citric.

Talius just gave a sarcastic grin as his answer and served himself some of the fruit and a slice of the Kane-ra bull meat. "So what are we going to talk about, mister fancypants?" He added casually.

"Well, first off, since it's been such a long time, I want to know what it's been like for the only makuta who seems to have a sense of justice in the universe…. And how has Helryx been" Kalnur replied with a sly smile and a wink. "Then I'll move the conversation to why you are in Metru Nui, and that's pretty much all" He finished with a shrug and a sip of his juice.

"I left the Order some time ago, I thought someone like you should be aware of that" Talius replied with a bare hint of bitterness in his voice. "It was too dangerous after Varia and Vorx purged the last bit of Shadow from me, so I left them for their own good. I washed up in Metru Nui and I've been working my disguise there ever since"

"I see" Kalnur said as he recalled when he himself worked a disguise in Metru Nui as the leader of a toa team and then a member of the Toa Mangaia; the good old times, before the Dark Hunter War and the reunion of all his parts. "And what exactly brings you to Metru Nui? The new toa? Or perhaps Varia?" He added inquisitively.

"That is none of your business, all I know is that there's something about Varia that called me to the city of legends, so I won't tell you even if I find out" Talius replied as he finished eating. "And I believe Helryx is doing fine, but I won't talk more about that subject. Now please take me back to Metru Nui, I have a weed to prue" He forced his statement the same way he forced his fist down into the table. "Now"

"Very well Talius, although I would've enjoyed a friendly fight with you, but alas, it won't be now" Kalnur said as he accompanied the makuta to the courtyard. "Careful with the razor hawks, they'll try to prey on anything that moves… that's why I have a scarecrow" He added as he pointed to a small, lifeless figure not too far away.

Talius just squinted at it; was it him or did the thing look a lot like… Varia? However, his thoughts were yanked back to a warehouse in Ta-Metru and his matoran form. "Just one thing; if you see Varia before I do, let her know I'm looking for her" Kalnur's voice just resonated inside his head… telepathy, oh yay.

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(A certain Knowledge Tower ,Ko-Metru)

-"So you made yourself a pair of fire claws?"

-"Yep

- "For a Toa of AIR?"

-"Right again"

-"AND you made yourself another scythe… and took a jetpack to boot?"

-"Are you going somewhere with this?"

-"Nah, just checking… let's get you a better name, 'Nidhiki' is getting confusing"

-"Ooook… what's that in your pocket?"

-"Looks like a letter"

-"From?"

-"Vorx… weird"

-"What does he want?"

-"He wants me to design a vehicle for Talius… preferably bike-shaped and able to make dimensional jumps"

-"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

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_And so ends chapter three :D finally! I actually finished it like at 3:00 AM, but woke up about an hour ago so… sorry for not posting earlier xD R&R, hope you enjoy it… and RRRaptor… please don't kill me for thinking that Varia would make a good scarecrow model ^^u_


	4. Awkward Encounters

_Aaaah, life is good, fun times, climbed mountains, swam waterfalls colder than a corpse… errr… not that I know how cold that is… and had a pretty fun summer… now onwards to the story of our protagonist GB: Kalnur_

_Disclaimer: I DO NOT own BIONICLE, Nidhiki or Varia_

"_**Awkward encounters"**_

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(Ta-Metru)

Nidhiki exited the –recently used- crumbling warehouse in the outskirts of the district; up until now, the worst thing he had dealt with was that makuta, but it had sent some serious thoughts through his mind; for if one being could find him with his Volitak activated, then surely others would be able to do the same.

This meant starpan training was the only viable option to prevent this from happening further, which in turn meant only one place for training: the icy deserted regions in Ko-Metru, specifically the caves near the ocean, lots of dangerous rahi inhabited those places… or training fodder, it was all pretty much the same.

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(Ga-Metru)

Kalnur strode through the beach, his armored feet making splashy sounds on the water. This was all too strange, even for his now-expanded mind; the Dark Hunter war was over, there was even a new team of Toa on the streets… Hell, even Varia was in Metru Nui! Then how could everything feel like it would soon go down the Kane-Ra bull's stomach and into places best left un-described?

It was in this metru that he had first found out about the Great Beings "infiltrating" this world, here that he had talked with something only Mata Nui would know what was, and also here that Lycher used to swim around and hunt… it was here that Lhikan chose to start his mission to create new Toa sacrificing his power.

It was also here that Varia's house was located, and so, it was a good time to pay her a visit for old time's sake; Kalnur raised a small energy shield around him just in case. Knocking on the door, he got only an empty silence as an answer; he tried again and then another time… the door coming down was the fourth one. Inside was nothing but an empty bed, a desk and some tablets strewn on the floor. "Damn it Varia! Why do you always go around journeying when people are looking for you?"

That's when the squad of bordahk broke into the house. "Oh crap"

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(Ko-Metru)

Nidhiki was hunting an ice bat through the deep chasms that opened between the tops of the Knowledge Towers; every toa worth his mask knew that it was both a dangerous and rewarding sport, because catching one was always more or lays equivalent to a day of non-stop physical training.

That's when he saw the lumbering figure down below; it looked too big and weird to be a vahki, but moved too normally to be a rahi of any sort; deciding the ice bat could wait for later, he jumped down and use his scythes to slow the fall; just before hitting ground level a sudden gust propelled him forward and into a direct shoulder slam to the thing's torso. Nidhiki was sent flying backwards and landed non-too-gracefully on his back armor.

"Uuuh, why did the green toa hit me?" The lumbering figure, also known as Krekka, asked out loud as he picked up Nidhiki by the neck. "And why do you look like Nidhiki before he got spidery? Wait! Where is my Nidhiki!" He yelled as he tested how flexible the toa's neck was. Not nice.

"Ok, you have three seconds to let go of me before I make you, whatever-your-name-is" Nidhiki answered as the fire claws began to heat up. "Or don't, I never pass up a good chance for constant and unnecessary violence, especially against Dark Hunters" He added with the wickedest grin he could show with his mask and kneed Krekka in the chin.

"Ow!" The brute roared as he let go. "Uh… the Shadowed One said to crush puny toa, Nidhiki says to crush puny toa….. KREKKA SMASH!" He added as both his enormous fists tore the floor beneath the toa of air and sent him flying for the second time in the day.

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(Ga-Metru)

Kalnur blasted one of the bordahk with an energy sphere before jumping out the window; as much as he would like to simply blow them up there and then, he knew that Varia would kill him for the state her house would be left in; thus, he jumped out the window and into the wide channels of Ga-metru, hoping they would chase.

Several splashes in the water and some disks nearly hitting him confirmed that, but Kalnur was now in the water... those bordahk would never know what hit them… or maybe they would, but takea sharks had a nasty tendency to be fast and sneaky, especially against clumsy vahki. Thus, he shimmered into the lithe form of the water predator and charged at the swimming squad of prey… er… enforcers.

Three fell to the first strike, their bodies emitting sparks as the sank in the channel, with two more following swiftly behind, but that's when the disks started flying everywhere and, by the looks of the turtle one of them just hit, they were freeze disks from Ko-metru: Not. Good.

Kalnur circled around what was left of the squad, thinking his next attack; the bordahk had formed a defensive perimeter of sorts, all staffs and disk launchers pointing outwards into the water, seemingly ready to repel attacks coming in that direction… so an attack from above should finish them off.

It was during the dive –for the purpose of gathering more speed- that three of the disks managed to hit him fair and square, leaving the surprised great being a very frozen block of ice to be retrieved by the vahi.

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(Ko-Metru)

Nidhiki walked along the blue giant known as Krekka; who was dumber than a sculpture from Po-metru and twice as dense; it had taken a while to convince him that he was the Nidhiki he was looking for, only a disk had hit him and he looked like a toa for now, but it was totally him and he should remind him the job they were doing in the fabled City of Legends, as the Shadowed One had called it.

"Well, Shadowed One says we got hired to get Toa Lhikan and throw him into jail, and now we have to get rid of pesky toa with the Great Disks because they could ruin our client's plans and then we get no pay" Krekka answered as if remembering all that took a considerable effort for him. "He says we have to keep the toa alive and not kill them unless necessary"

"I see" Nidhiki answered as he memorized the precious enemy intel he had gotten his hands on. "So the plan is to give the six-" He was cut by Krekka saying "seven". "Right, seven toa to our client and then take them back to the Shadowed One in Odina?" He added with a hint of mirth to make it look as if _he_ was the one reviewing the plan to Krekka and not the other way around. "Yes" Was the answer by the Steltian.

"Krekka!" The clicking voice of the arachnoid Nidhiki bellowed as he emerged from a nearby alley. "How many times have I told you not to get lo-" The toa-turned-Dark-Hunter stopped mid-sentence as he looked at the green toa next to his dumb partner. But it could not be, he had been changed, and he was there! So how could a toa look remarkably like his old form –plus some added toys- be standing in front of him?

"You! You're not supposed to exist!" He added as he charged at the emerald toa.

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Kalnur was partialy unfrozen and thrown into a dark cell in the middle of a place only Mata Nui would know; his head and hands were free enough to hit the floor with a rather unhealthy crunch and not be able to do anything about it. "Damn those tin cans and their stupid homing disks" He said out loud as he began heating his body like a lava eel to thaw himself. "I would destroy all of them if I could" He added angrily.

After escaping his icy confinement, he finally started taking in his surroundings. He was in an ample cell with a solid protodermis door as the only official way out; the floor was uneven and hard, with four large figures lying on it –sleeping, by the looks of it- and a fifth, smaller one propped against the corner, his mask features concealed by a strange helmet. The mood was generally dark, gloomy and with a slight scent of defeat in the air.

"Tell me toa, how did they capture _you_?" The smaller figure said as it stood up and walked, with the aid of a funny-looking staff, towards Kalnur. "You don't seem to be here by will… or accident" He added as he took a good look at the multi-colored toa. "You know, you remind me of an old teammate of mine… well, at least before he disappeared; we never knew what happened to him" He said with a sad shook of his head.

"I'm sorry for the disappearance of your friend, turaga; I'm sure you will find him someday, or maybe he will find you" Kalnur replied as he knelt down to the elder's eye level. "Destiny works in mysterious ways… now step aside" He added as his right hand started glowing with Light; just as he was about to punch a hole in the protodermis door the size of a kanoka disk, the turaga spoke again. "Kalnur? Is that you?"

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(Ko-Metru)

Nidhiki jumped out of the way in time to avoid getting trampled by the huge insectoid Dark Hunter; unlimbering his scythes, he whirled around in mid-air and landed to face both Dark Huners. Kalnur had warned him about them, but he had never mentioned anything about one of them also calling himself "Nidhiki".

"I have no quarrel with you… or maybe I do; you know, you being a Dark Hunter and all, so get out of my sight before I make you get out" His fire claws flared up with that last statement. "The hard way"

"Uh, Nidhiki" Krekka's voice managing to make it through all of his partner's rage at what he thought was a mockery of him. "Shadowed One said to crush squishy toa… he knows" The look on the emerald hunter's face was priceless as he realized the full depths of what the idiot he was paired with had just said; this meant the toa in front of them, be who he might be, could _not_ get away. "Krekka you imbecile! The Shadowed One will kill us now! Unless we bring this piece of kikanalo droppings that calls itself toa with us" He yelled as he shot energy web after energy web at his foe.

Nidhiki cut through the webs like a proto drake through liquid protodermis, much to the panic and fury of his assailant and Krekka, who seemed to be taking some important decision inside his big, empty head. And if what he had heard was right, escaping with the information he had gotten out of the guy was more than valuable to them, enough to cause the anger of the Shadowed One. Opting for the old matoran proverb of "Run and fight another day, but run fast", Nidhiki whipped up a whirlwind with snow and threw it at the two dark hunters to make his escape.

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Kalnur stopped right there, fist still glowing with Light. "How do you know my name, turaga?" He asked befuddled at the elder's knowledge. "The only turaga I ever met was Dume, and he seems to have gone cuckoo as of late" The great being added as he knelt down to his eye level.

"Well, you knew me under another body and attitude, brother" He answered with a chuckle. "Or have you forgotten the Dark Hunter war and the Toa Mangaia?" The turaga said as he slowly removed his helmet to reveal a golden, noble Hau underneath. "You got smaller, Kalnur"

"L-Lhikan? Well, you've gotten smaller too" Kalnur replied as he hugged the toa he had come to respect and call brother. "Wait! Is this because you gave your power to the toa metru?" He added as he looked closely at the four figures lying asleep on the ground. "Four of which are captured and asleep in this cell"

"Actually, only three of them are toa Metru, Kalnur" Lhikan answered pointing at a white toa, a black one and a brown one too. "I take you remember your old rivalry with Varia? Because she's right there" He added pointing at a black and silver figure that looked really uncomfortable sleeping on the floor. "And she's been a bit cranky for some reason" The toa-turned-turaga said as he took his helmet and donned it again.

"Damn…"

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(Ko-Metru)

Nidhiki ran through the maze of alleys created by the Knowledge Towers; if he could lose the pair of dark hunters a little more, he'd be able to take refuge in the Ko-metru base, where the information he acquired would be then safely –and quickly- released to allies across the city. That, of course, if he managed two avoid said dark hunters and the vahki patrols their ruckus was attracting.

"Hurry up Krehka! If we lose him, the Shadowed One will have our heads on a platter by nightfall!" Nidhiki howled as he swatted matoran and machine alike in a mad charge toward the speeding emerald toa. "We. Need. Him. Dead. NOW!"

Krekka nodded and started smashing the towers aside –much to the annoyance of the working ko-matoran on them- in an effort to speed up their process and that of the vahki behind them, who were obviously paying more attention to avoiding said buildings falling like dominoes instead. "Puny little green toa will PAY!"

Nidhiki kept running, the map to the safe-house clear in his mind's eye; two more turns to the left and then straight for a dozen more towers before the concealed entrance became visible and he lost these two nuts and their robots for the day. As he turned a sharp corner, the border of his shoulder pad caught a poster of sorts; not wanting to get distracted, he kept running towards the base, leaving whirlwinds in his wake to deter his pursuers.

Krekka smashed into a knowledge tower when he tried to clear through the sudden snowstorm between two towers, the sheer force of the impact making a large crack appear on its side; as Nidhiki turned around to see what happened, a chunk of ice fired off his fellow dark hunter's net launcher, which proceeded to smack the ex-toa right on the kisser (A/N: I'll go throw up now, that's not something I wanted to imagine), bringing him down hard on the rock-hard ice. "I hate you so much"

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(Po-Metru)

"Lhikan" Kalnur whispered softly as he sat down on a rock. "Doesn't it sometimes seem unfair to have the power to change things gone horribly wrong and not being able to?" He asked. "Because _destiny_ gets in the way…"

"Kalnur, remember when we fought the Dark Hunters in the canyons of this metru?" Lhikan replied as he took a seat next to the seemingly troubled 'toa'. "You got lost shortly before it happened, but Nidhiki betrayed us to the Shadowed One's army… few of us handled it well, but it had been Nidhiki's choice to turn on his brothers and not destiny's doing" The turaga stopped for a moment at the painful memory. "We choose what we do, brother, and Mata Nui chooses not to change things because he knows what's best"

Kalnur half smiled through his kanohi; he might look like a turaga now, but Lhikan was still the determined and competent leader he knew from all those years ago. Time may pass and makutas could take over (A/N: yeah, like _that'll_ happen), but Lhikan would always know how to get out of a tight spot.

"Very well brother" The great being said as he stood up and walked over to Varia. "I know this looks selfish of me, but I must take Varia oout of here first –she'd kill you if she finds out who you are-; I promise I'll come back for you" He added as he picked her up and slung her carefully over his shoulder. "You can count on it"

"I understand Kalnur, or t least I think I do" The turaga answered with a pat to the back. "There's something different in both of you now, and it may have to do with what's going on in the city of legends" He added grimly. "I'll train these toa on their powers while you return, now scram before the vahki come"

"Yes sir" Was the only reply before Shadow covered the jailbreak.

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_And well, that's all now that work and school have finally given me a rest… getting ideas about a fic of Atero as a glatorian doesn't help either xD_

_Thanks go to Adeira (formerly Rusty Red Raptor and dragontiger12 before that), Scar 211 (formerly Jamester211), Dan the Wireman and The Rahkshi Writer for their reviews support and tips; sorry that I kept your stories on hiatus for so long. ^^u_

_Enjoy it, Read it and Review it._

_Small note: the Starpan are a race of matoran living on the southern islands, they make the finest weapons in the matanuiverse and are known for their excessively strict rules for combat; every inhabitant in the island must be able to –at the very least- take on three visorak by his 200__th__ birth date. The starpans are also famous for their interpretation of prophecies from the red star and for being the only multiracial village, with matoran of any gender and element walking freely inside._


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